Scientists have found that the water does not sink in oil

11/04/2012

Australian scientists have recently made a surprising observation that openly contradict the established view that the water is drowning in oil. As it turned out, the water sinks in oil, furthermore, it can be safely located on its surface. New information can be useful for specialists in the field of clean water from various spots of oil.

Aristotle proved that the liquid with lower density, for example, crude oil can be kept at the liquid surface with a higher density, such as ordinary water. A group of Australian scientists from Curtin University under the direction of M. Fang Chi set out to test this obvious fact by means of modern computer models and a series of experiments conducted in the laboratory. In the end, the results of their study confirmed the long-standing fallacy of conventional wisdom.

Adding a drop of water in the oil, the scientists found that the ability of water retained on the surface of the oil depends on the type and size of the oil droplets of water. The standard oil (vegetable, vegetable) has a strong surface tension, so the ability to hold onto its surface, droplets of water, but with the mineral oil is not able to carry out. In addition, researchers have found that the oil can not hold water drops which exceed a hundredth cubic inches.

The researchers say that they have received information will allow a more efficient cleanup of oil spills. Microbes, oil refining, as small droplets suspended in the water, would have coped with the problem much better. However, there is one thing: as noted above, the mineral oil is not able to hold the water, that is, to increase the surface tension, something else will have to pre-water oil spill, thus exacerbating the already poor environmental situation.